Journalism is under pressure across the Visegrád region (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary). Political leaders from Warsaw to Budapest are portraying the critical, independent press as an enemy of the national interest – and press freedom as nothing more than a political weapon.In light of this challenge, the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Warsaw-based Society of Journalists (Towarzystwo Dziennikarskie), with support from the European Commission and the Fritt Ord Foundation, will jointly host a public panel discussion in Warsaw on Dec. 13, 2017 on regional threats to press freedom and independent journalism.

The panel – “Media Freedom Under Pressure in the Visegrád Region: Threats and Solutions” – will feature leading editors and media experts from each of the V4 countries to illuminate the current state of affairs and analyse the wider threat to democracy.Notably, the discussion will also explore ways in which independent media outlets in the region can support one another in the face of similar challenges and work together in defence of press freedom as a fundamental right.Speakers:• Beata Balogová, editor-in-chief, daily SME (Slovakia)

Robert Čásenský, editor-in-chief, Reporter magazine (Czech Republic)

Miklós Haraszti, noted author and former OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media; visiting professor, Central European University (Hungary)

Piotr Stasiński, deputy editor-in-chief, Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland)

Moderator: Krzysztof Bobiński, Society of Journalists (Poland)

IPI is a global network of journalists, editors and media executives dedicated to defending media freedom and the free flow of information. The Society of Journalists is an organisation that aims to promote high standards of journalism, defend freedom of speech and provide a platform for an exchange of views on the future of the media in Poland.